Carabello Coffee to Help Build Tilapia Farm in Nicaragua
You've all probably heard the Chinese proverb: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." Well, this summer Carabello Coffee will be putting some of your coffee dollars to work by helping Nicaraguans get into the fish business. Here's the exciting story.
The past two months Emily and I have been busy behind the Carabello Coffee scenes laying the groundwork for what we believe will prove to be two rewarding projects in Nicaragua this summer. As most of you know, the whole reason we're doing this coffee thing is to be able to help people improve their lives in coffee producing communities / regions throughout the world. Well, three months ago we began a series of conversations with a church and a foundation we have a relationships with in Los Angeles,CA. They basically came to us and said, "Give us three things we can do together inNicaragua." They went on to express interest in helping the people of Nicaragua develop sustainable sources of income and livelihoods. Honestly, that floored me. So I set out to pray and dream with God, wondering what is on His heart in all of this.
Long story short, we are presently working on plans to build a six tank tilapia farm on the property of the Jardin del Ninos orphanage we have been working with in Somoto, Nicarauga this coming July. Since our initial conversations, we've gotten assistance and input from two other organizations: Morningstar Fishermen and Flutemaker Ministries. The farm will allow for the raising of tilapia, a fish that multiplies quickly and will be able to supply a steady source of protein to the orphans as well as a new revenue stream for the orphanage as they can sell the fish to local restaurants and consumers. As a bonus, the tanks will also allow for the growth of vegetables hydroponically in some of the tanks.
Along with the construction of the tilapia farm, we are working with our coffee farmer partner Luis Balladares and Pastor Carlos from the orphanage to put together two separate business seminars that will be conducted by American businessmen and women who have a passion to give back to people in the third world. These business leaders hope to impart their business savvy in a way that will lead to the creation of stronger businesses as well as new businesses inNicaragua.
The goal of all of this is to help build a more stable and sustainable way of life for the Nicaraguan people with whom we are working.
And you are a part of all of it! Imagine it... your choice to drink our coffee really is going to result in some measure of change in the lives of real people inNicaragua. If you ask me, this all sounds like a great reason to get up in the morning and brew a pot of Carabello Coffee!